diff --git a/bench/permutations.go b/bench/permutations.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cbe4162e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/permutations.go
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package bench
+
+// PermutationGenerator provides a way to pass integer IDs through a permutation
+// map that is pseudorandom but repeatable. This could be done with rand.Perm,
+// but that would require storing a [Iterations]int64 array, which we want to avoid
+// for large values of Iterations.
+// It works by using a Linear Congruence Generator (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_congruential_generator)
+// with modulus m = Iterations,
+// c = an arbitrary prime,
+// a = computed to ensure the full period.
+// relevant stackoverflow: http://cs.stackexchange.com/questions/29822/lazily-computing-a-random-permutation-of-the-positive-integers
+type PermutationGenerator struct {
+	a int64
+	c int64
+	m int64
+}
+
+func NewPermutationGenerator(m int64, seed int64) *PermutationGenerator {
+	// figure out 'a' and 'c', return PermutationGenerator
+	a := LCGmultiplierFromModulus(m, seed)
+	c := int64(22695479)
+	return &PermutationGenerator{a, c, m}
+}
+
+func (p *PermutationGenerator) Next(n int64) int64 {
+	// run one step of the LCG
+	return (n*p.a + p.c) % p.m
+}
+
+// LCG parameters must satisfy three conditions:
+// 1. m and c are relatively prime (satisfied for prime c != m)
+// 2. a-1 is divisible by all prime factors of m
+// 3. a-1 is divisible by 4 if m is divisible by 4
+// Additionally, a seed can be used to select between different permutations
+func LCGmultiplierFromModulus(m int64, seed int64) int64 {
+	factors := primeFactors(m)
+	product := int64(1)
+	for p := range factors {
+		// satisfy condition 2
+		product *= p
+	}
+
+	if m%4 == 0 {
+		// satisfy condition 3
+		product *= 2
+	}
+
+	return product*seed + 1
+}
+
+// Returns map of {integerFactor: count, ...}
+// This is a naive algorithm that will not work well for large prime n.
+func primeFactors(n int64) map[int64]int {
+	factors := make(map[int64]int)
+	for i := int64(2); i <= n; i++ {
+		div, mod := n/i, n%i
+		for mod == 0 {
+			factors[i] += 1
+			n = div
+			div, mod = n/i, n%i
+		}
+	}
+	return factors
+}
diff --git a/bench/zipf.go b/bench/zipf.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3f443706
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/zipf.go
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+package bench
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"flag"
+	"io/ioutil"
+
+	"context"
+	"math"
+	"math/rand"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// ZipfSetBits sets random bits according to the Zipf-Mandelbrot distribution.
+// This distribution accepts two parameters, Exponent and Ratio, for both bitmaps and profiles.
+// It also uses PermutationGenerator to permute IDs randomly.
+type ZipfSetBits struct {
+	HasClient
+	BaseBitmapID   int64
+	BaseProfileID  int64
+	BitmapIDRange  int64
+	ProfileIDRange int64
+	Iterations     int // number of bits that will be set
+	Seed           int64
+	BitmapRng      *rand.Zipf
+	ProfileRng     *rand.Zipf
+	BitmapPerm     *PermutationGenerator
+	ProfilePerm    *PermutationGenerator
+	DB             string // DB to use in pilosa.
+
+	// TODO remove these - but theyre needed in ConsumeFlags
+	BitmapExponent  float64
+	BitmapRatio     float64
+	ProfileExponent float64
+	ProfileRatio    float64
+}
+
+func (b *ZipfSetBits) Usage() string {
+	return `
+zipf-set-bits sets random bits according to the Zipf distribution.
+This is a power-law distribution controlled by two parameters.
+Exponent, in the range (1, inf), with a default value of 1.001, controls
+the "sharpness" of the distribution, with higher exponent being sharper.
+Ratio, in the range (0, 1), with a default value of 0.25, controls the
+maximum variation of the distribution, with higher ratio being more uniform.
+
+Usage: zipf-set-bits [arguments]
+
+The following arguments are available:
+
+	-base-bitmap-id int
+		bits being set will all be greater than BaseBitmapID
+
+	-bitmap-id-range int
+		number of possible bitmap ids that can be set
+
+	-base-profile-id int
+		profile id num to start from
+
+	-profile-id-range int
+		number of possible profile ids that can be set
+
+	-iterations int
+		number of bits to set
+
+	-seed int
+		Seed for RNG
+
+	-db string
+		pilosa db to use
+
+	-bitmap-exponent float64
+		zipf exponent parameter for bitmap IDs
+
+	-bitmap-ratio float64
+		zipf probability ratio parameter for bitmap IDs
+
+	-profile-exponent float64
+		zipf exponent parameter for profile IDs
+
+	-profile-ratio float64
+		zipf probability ratio parameter for profile IDs
+
+	-client-type string
+		Can be 'single' (all agents hitting one host) or 'round_robin'
+`[1:]
+}
+
+func (b *ZipfSetBits) ConsumeFlags(args []string) ([]string, error) {
+	fs := flag.NewFlagSet("ZipfSetBits", flag.ContinueOnError)
+	fs.SetOutput(ioutil.Discard)
+	fs.Int64Var(&b.BaseBitmapID, "base-bitmap-id", 0, "")
+	fs.Int64Var(&b.BitmapIDRange, "bitmap-id-range", 100000, "")
+	fs.Int64Var(&b.BaseProfileID, "base-profile-id", 0, "")
+	fs.Int64Var(&b.ProfileIDRange, "profile-id-range", 100000, "")
+	fs.Int64Var(&b.Seed, "seed", 1, "")
+	fs.IntVar(&b.Iterations, "iterations", 100, "")
+	fs.StringVar(&b.DB, "db", "benchdb", "")
+	fs.Float64Var(&b.BitmapExponent, "bitmap-exponent", 1.01, "")
+	fs.Float64Var(&b.BitmapRatio, "bitmap-ratio", 0.25, "")
+	fs.Float64Var(&b.ProfileExponent, "profile-exponent", 1.01, "")
+	fs.Float64Var(&b.ProfileRatio, "profile-ratio", 0.25, "")
+	fs.StringVar(&b.ClientType, "client-type", "single", "")
+
+	if err := fs.Parse(args); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return fs.Args(), nil
+}
+
+// Offset is the true parameter used by the Zipf distribution, but the ratio,
+// as defined here, is a simpler, readable way to define the distribution.
+// Offset is in [1, inf), and its meaning depends on N (a pain for updating benchmark configs)
+// ratio is in (0, 1), and its meaning does not depend on N.
+// it is the ratio of the lowest probability in the distribution to the highest.
+// ratio=0.01 corresponds to a very small offset - the most skewed distribution for a given pair (N, exp)
+// ratio=0.99 corresponds to a very large offset - the most nearly uniform distribution for a given (N, exp)
+func getZipfOffset(N int64, exp, ratio float64) float64 {
+	z := math.Pow(ratio, 1/exp)
+	return z * float64(N-1) / (1 - z)
+}
+
+func (b *ZipfSetBits) Init(hosts []string, agentNum int) error {
+	rnd := rand.New(rand.NewSource(b.Seed + int64(agentNum)))
+	bitmapOffset := getZipfOffset(b.BitmapIDRange, b.BitmapExponent, b.BitmapRatio)
+	b.BitmapRng = rand.NewZipf(rnd, b.BitmapExponent, bitmapOffset, uint64(b.BitmapIDRange-1))
+	profileOffset := getZipfOffset(b.ProfileIDRange, b.ProfileExponent, b.ProfileRatio)
+	b.ProfileRng = rand.NewZipf(rnd, b.ProfileExponent, profileOffset, uint64(b.ProfileIDRange-1))
+
+	b.BitmapPerm = NewPermutationGenerator(b.BitmapIDRange, b.Seed)
+	b.ProfilePerm = NewPermutationGenerator(b.ProfileIDRange, b.Seed+1)
+
+	return b.HasClient.Init(hosts, agentNum)
+}
+
+// Run runs the ZipfSetBits benchmark
+func (b *ZipfSetBits) Run(ctx context.Context, agentNum int) map[string]interface{} {
+	results := make(map[string]interface{})
+	if b.cli == nil {
+		results["error"] = fmt.Errorf("No client set for ZipfSetBits agent: %v", agentNum)
+		return results
+	}
+	s := NewStats()
+	var start time.Time
+	for n := 0; n < b.Iterations; n++ {
+		// generate IDs from Zipf distribution
+		bitmapIDOriginal := b.BitmapRng.Uint64()
+		profIDOriginal := b.ProfileRng.Uint64()
+		// permute IDs randomly, but repeatably
+		bitmapID := b.BitmapPerm.Next(int64(bitmapIDOriginal))
+		profID := b.ProfilePerm.Next(int64(profIDOriginal))
+
+		query := fmt.Sprintf("SetBit(%d, 'frame.n', %d)", b.BaseBitmapID+int64(bitmapID), b.BaseProfileID+int64(profID))
+		start = time.Now()
+		b.cli.ExecuteQuery(ctx, b.DB, query, true)
+		s.Add(time.Now().Sub(start))
+	}
+	AddToResults(s, results)
+	return results
+}
diff --git a/cmd/pilosactl/main.go b/cmd/pilosactl/main.go
index 68ff61cc0..08c20c285 100644
--- a/cmd/pilosactl/main.go
+++ b/cmd/pilosactl/main.go
@@ -1206,6 +1206,8 @@ func (cmd *BagentCommand) ParseFlags(args []string) error {
 			bm = &bench.DiagonalSetBits{}
 		case "random-set-bits":
 			bm = &bench.RandomSetBits{}
+		case "zipf-set-bits":
+			bm = &bench.ZipfSetBits{}
 		case "multi-db-set-bits":
 			bm = &bench.MultiDBSetBits{}
 		case "random-query":
@@ -1252,6 +1254,7 @@ The following arguments are available:
 	subcommands:
 		diagonal-set-bits
 		random-set-bits
+		zipf-set-bits
 		multi-db-set-bits
 		random-query
 		import
diff --git a/cmd/pilosactl/zipfspawn.json b/cmd/pilosactl/zipfspawn.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6dda5a283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/pilosactl/zipfspawn.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+    "CreatorArgs": ["-type", "local", "-serverN", "3", "-replicaN", "1"],
+    "Agents": { "Type": "local" },
+    "Benchmarks": [
+        {
+            "Num": 1,
+            "Args": ["zipf-set-bits", "-iterations", "10000", "-profile-id-range", "100", "-bitmap-id-range", "100", "-seed", "2345", "-client-type", "round_robin", "-bitmap-exponent", "1.001", "-bitmap-ratio", ".9", "-profile-exponent", "1.001", "-profile-ratio", ".3"]
+        }
+    ]
+}